


Who's That, Knockin' On My Ceiling?

by Roman (Ghoul1gan)



Series: For Your ENTERTAINMENT [1]
Category: Bandom, Waterparks (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Awsten gets lost in his own little world sometimes, Cats, F/M, Humor, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, i wrote this while i was sick, platonic dates??, the animal not the horrific movie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-06
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:35:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22591102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ghoul1gan/pseuds/Roman
Summary: Roman has been living in Sunnyside Apartments for a few months now. She's comfortable in her home and her routine. Somehow a new neighbor has moved in without her knowledge, and they don't seem to understand what having downstairs neighbors entails.
Relationships: Awsten Knight/Original Female Character(s)
Series: For Your ENTERTAINMENT [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1627567
Kudos: 8





	1. Kapow

**Author's Note:**

> You don't realize how little you've written until you go to post it on AO3, yeesus. Anyways, _obviously_ I have the gift of gab.
> 
> Thank you to my wonderful friend and Beta reader, Carrietastic!

Thump, thump, thump. 

That’s all Roman had heard from her ceiling for the past three days. If it weren’t for the fact that it was three in the morning, she may not have minded. But here she was, bloodshot eyes, shallow breaths, and a slow grinding of her teeth. 

A fist balled in the sheets she had thrown off in her frustration, Roman sat up violently. With a deep wheezing inhale she shouted, “WOULD YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP?”

Thump, thump-. 

It abruptly stopped. There was no mumbling. No echo. It was an immediate halt, followed by bony footsteps leading from the master bedroom down the hallway above her. Roman scowled and stood to pull on a pair of discarded pants. If that bastard was going to come down to her door, the least she could do was get dressed and save some trouble.

The brunette took a deep breath through her nose before she sat back on her bed and waited, a sinking pit in her stomach. She had never actually ever argued with a neighbor before. To be frank, this was her first apartment alone. It had taken some time for her to make it out of her parent’s old house. It was situations just like this one that she had dreaded.

Knock knock… knock. 

The last knock sounded like an afterthought, almost like the person behind the door was just as nervous as she was. Roman cocked her head as she made her way down the hall. Her apartment glowed eerily in the early morning absence of light. 

With a thick swallow and a shallow drag of air, Roman opened the door, ready to begin hissing at her upstairs neighbor.

Her rapidly morphing ideas of what he would look like were met with a scrawny looking, average height man. He really wasn’t super remarkable except for his dark eyebrows and his oddly piercing eyes. Not that he smoldered, but that he seemed to know exactly why she might look rumpled or like glitter. Like he’d just… know things simply because a hair was out of place.

“‘Sup? Uh, sorry about waking you up I guess.” he glanced past her shoulder to see a pitch black apartment and grimaced. “I won’t do it again if you promise not to beat me up?” 

It wasn’t really a sentence made to be a question, but he gave the inquiring lilt and it seemed to fit. Roman quirked an eyebrow before letting out an amused huff. “Wow. Really?”

“What?! I apologized!” The man shrugged in a flabbergasted manner, as if to say ‘What more do you want from me?’  
“Okay, forgiven for now. But seriously, what the hell were you doing up there? You just… you just kept thumping on the floor. For three days?!” 

This seemed to hit a nerve with her neighbor, as he squirmed a little and grabbed a chunk of his bangs and tugged on it in an anxious fashion. “Aheh, well uh. I write music. I got into a mood and I was working on a song. Sorry about that.” He tugged again before resorting to simply stroking the chunk of hair between his fingers and avoiding Roman’s eyes.

“Oh, really? Well if I had known I was sharing living space with an artist I would’ve grabbed earplugs or something instead of screaming. So uh, I’m sorry too.”

This seemed to calm her neighbor as he dropped his hand and straightened his back, giving her a smile that didn’t really seem to reach his eyes. He reached out with an open hand, “Well. I’m Awsten.”

Roman thoughtlessly reached out to accept his handshake, “And I’m Roman. Welcome to Sunnyside Apartments. Don’t eat on your porch unless you want to feed a family.”

“What.” Awsten said, his hand still holding Roman’s.

Roman gave a quick dismissive chortle, “Look, just don’t eat on your porch. We’ve got birds the size of small children that adore Doritos.” She looked to the ceiling of the building’s hallway, avoiding the piercing gaze of her neighbor. 

“Well… okay then. Scary birds. Got it. Uh, I think I’ll let you get some sleep though. Sorry about that, again. I guess I should probably invest in a studio.” Awsten looked across the hallway in confusion, before looking back to Roman. “See ya later, Roman.”

Roman smiled and stepped back into her apartment, “See you around, Awsten.” She closed her door quietly and locked the deadbolt swiftly.

= = = = = = = = =

“Oh hey, Roman!” Awsten greeted loudly from the stairs in the building’s hallway. 

Roman’s head whipped around to look to Awsten. “Oh, uh. Hello.” 

“Your name is Roman. Right?” The artist asked, taking tentative and spry steps down the carpeted stairs.

“Uh, yes! Yes, and you’re Awsten. The… songwriter? Drummer?” The girl closed her apartment door behind her. Her other hand was tugging her sweater on properly, adjusting it around the base. She hadn’t really expected to ever speak to her neighbor again, but at this rate it seemed he would make sure they weren’t on basic terms. No sullen silence but respectable nods and glances. No, Awsten seemed sure that Roman and him would remain on speaking terms at the least.

Not that Roman minded too much. Mr. Eyebrows and her could get along just fine given enough time.

“Yes on the songwriter part.” he finished the last few steps of this flight with a quick hurdle, bracing himself against the railing. “What are you doing? I mean, if you don’t mind me asking.”

“I honestly just needed to get out of the house. I was gonna take a walk around. What are you doing?” Roman found this line of questioning… unfamiliar. She wasn’t used to grown adults asking her things like that. Normally it was some line about the weather, a quick smile, and a speedy exit before Roman could even respond. At least Awsten let Roman answer his seemingly genuine questions.

“Mind if I join you?” Awsten chirped as he quickly rolled up his long sleeves in absent excitement.

Roman was a bit speechless, but she saw no real reason to not let Awsten join her at this point. “You know what, why not. Maybe I can show you something new along the way.”

“Aw, sweet! I haven’t really just- explored, you know? I always go to diners and stuff with the band.”

Roman nodded and led her newfound walking buddy down two more flights of stairs before they touched ground on the smooth brick work of the entryway. “Well, one can get sucked into security. No telling what you’ll find walking past a flower pot.” Roman gave an eyebrow wiggle to emphasize her teasing. 

“Oh come on, give me some credit. I only scream if it’s a cute cuddly kitten.” Awsten jested with an eye roll.

Oh yeah, Roman and Awsten would get along just fine. “Well have I got a surprise for you!” she shouted giddily. “Come on, let’s go.”

Roman snatched Awsten’s hand in her excitement, tugging him further along. “Down this sidewalk, a few buildings down is a place I call Kitty-Kat Hotel!”

“Oh boy.” Awsten murmured quietly, following the lead of Roman.


	2. Kerchoo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman and Awsten run into each other the day after their not so conventional introduction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know. A second chapter already? Brick me. I like this self-indulgent stuff.

The pavement was warm from the midday sun, making the evening breeze feel that much better on Awsten’s bare skin. How Roman could even wear a sweater right now, he didn’t know. But he wasn’t about to tease her for it. Especially since Awsten frequently risked heatstroke in the name of fashion and simple comforts like long sleeves.

Birds hollered in the background of the weird coming of age scene the pair were waltzing through. If Roman were still dragging him by his long fingers, it’d seem far more Cartoon Network, than 80’s high school AU. At this point Awsten really had no idea if he should complain or just take it in stride… which left him taking it in stride by default. One might ask what the point in pondering was.

Trees swayed in the gentle but steady cool breeze as the strolled down the shadowed block. With so many tall residential buildings or office facilities, it was a miracle anything grew here.

“We’re almost there, Awsten.” Roman giggled through a broad unabashed smile.

“Okay. Cool. But what is “there”. Where are we going?” The artist said to the sky. He had a few friends like Roman. She probably wouldn’t answer because they were only a few steps away.

Awsten ran his fingers through bright, relatively short, red hair. He literally had no idea what this chick was leading him to. Not that this sort of thing was uncommon for Awsten, but lately he had been more of a _**hide in the attic until the friends come back**_ sort of guy. He had kind of assumed his chaotic urban adventure days were over. Especially since his friends all had to fly or drive for days to get to him. 

Yeah… his most recent move hadn’t been the brightest idea.

“Alright! We’re here.” Roman announced, abruptly stopping in front of a dark, yet remarkably dry alleyway.

It took the writer a moment to register what ‘here’ was. He blinked, glancing at the floor first. Then he looked to the red brick walls, obstructed by cardboard boxes and dilapidated cat towers. “What.” His comment wasn't much of a question. Just a limp statement of confusion.

“This is Kitty-Kat Hotel. I figured that’d be pretty obvious with the lounging rugs scattered all over the place.”

That was when Awsten’s eyes finally registered the massive amount of liquid shadows. Cats lay strewn across the pavement of the musty forgotten alley. “Wow. I didn’t see them initially.”

Roman gave the man a quizzical yet pout-y look. “Well… I was hoping for girlish screams, but it seems I’m out of luck.”

“Wha- OH! Right. Here, ahem” Awsten closed his eyes and hunched his shoulders before pitching the girliest, yet screechiest scream Roman had heard in at least a year. He had raised one leg, and both arms were around his ears, giving more of a look to his whiny demonstration before he took a deep breath and opened his eyes again. “Satisfied?”

“Yes.” Roman managed while stifling a burbling of giggles. “That was much better than I had expected from the likes of you.”

“Hey! What does that mean?”

Roman didn’t respond, instead turning her attention to the sudden disappearance of the purring fuzzy lumps in the dark. “You scared them off, Awsten.”

Awsten gave a cursory glance to the surroundings to confirm that the cats had indeed left. But he wasn’t really worried about the strays. He glanced to Roman and quirked an eyebrow, “Alright. Cool. So I can come here if I want fleas.”

“Okay, okay. There are some flaws in this hotel, don’t get me wrong. But it’s kinda cute.”

Yeah. It was kinda cute. An area he could just waltz to with treats and catnip or something. It seemed good on paper at least. “Well, gimme some time. I’ll become King Ra- I mean, Cat. King Cat around here.” he scoffed at his own stumble. He was off his game today. 

Roman nodded sagely, obviously amused if the twinkling in her eyes was anything to go by. Her eyes were a rather pretty hazel blue and brown, now that Awsten was close enough to see them. He caught himself smiling absently before grabbing her wrist and leading her out of the alleyway. “Let’s continue the tour, senpai.”

His tour guide winced at Awsten’s terminology. “Wouldn’t it be sensai?”

“Nah nah. If you’re cute, you’re senpai.” he quipped. As bullshit as the words were, the air he put off was very confident and sure.

“If you say so, yeesh.” She moved to walk next to Awsten and led them further down the block, enjoying the ambient warm colors and the smell of summer in the air. Awsten glanced around, admiring the golden light and the bluing shadows as evening crept further and further along. 

“So. What’s next on our _Tour De Neighborhood?_ ”

“A bike rack.” Roman responded simply.

“Maybe I should just stop asking questions.” Awsten exhaled a huff of frustration and went back to admiring the scenery on their way there.

= = = = =

“Are we there yet?” Awsten droned again.

Roman immediately stopped, essentially making Awsten run into her shoulder. She looked down at him. “Do you ever shut up?”

“Not really, no. And when I do, generally it means I’m goin’ through it. Y’know?”

“Okay, carry on rambling then. But yes, we’re here.” 

Roman hadn’t been lying. There was a bike rack here. However, ‘here’ was what looked to be an urban park, surrounded by vendors. There was a small jungle gym, some slides, and shaded areas to relax. 

Awsten wasn’t super impressed by most of it, until he locked eyes with Roman and she gestured towards a food truck. “Bitch, they have ice cream. Show some excitement.”

“Oh shit, you’re right. ‘Scuse me.” Awsten immediately tumbled his awkwardly graceless way to the ice cream truck (luckily it wasn’t the singing annoying kind) and cheerfully looked up into the window, waiting for the vendor to notice him.

“Hey, welcome to Chippy’s, how may I serve you today?”

Awsten opened his mouth to respond, and realized he had no clue what he was ordering. “Uuuhh- wait one second.” he ambled back to Roman with a clear look of intent in his intense blue eyes. “Flavor. What want.”

“Me like Mint and Peaches.” she grunted, “ _But not together in one bowl, dear god._ ”

Awsten nodded with understanding and turned to go place the order. “One Triple Mocha Ripple cone, coming right up.”

He waited patiently for his Mint Chocolate Chip, and her Peach cones to be finished. Today was a day for hand holding, and popsicle kisses. And while he couldn’t have all of those bases covered, he could share ice cream to top off the weird excited hand holding he had received today. 

“Here you go. I got you fruit, cause why not? We can’t be matching, that’d be weird.” he said as he handed Roman her cone.

“Dare I ask why that would be weird?”

“Oh come on, on the internet people’d already be shipping us. We can’t go and make it cute too, that’s just asking for trouble.”

Roman looked at Awsten in confusion. “I showed you a little hotel I made for strays. I’m pretty sure matching ice cream is far below that.”

Awsten gave that a moment of thought before licking his cone and nodding. “Got me there I guess. What should our ship name be? Rawsten? Omen?”

“Ramen.” Roman grinned around a mouthful of ice cream.

“Wow. I cannot believe that wasn’t the first thing I said. **Marry me**.” Awsten scoffed at himself and shook his head before biting directly into his ice cream.

“I can’t marry someone crazy enough to bite directly into Frosty the Snowman’s hairless balls, okay?” Roman snorted before finishing off her ice cream. “Come back to me after you’ve seen some sense.”

Awsten spat out a mouthful of ice cream to laugh, “Jesus, Roman. What the fuck?”

“Look, I know my standards are high, but I can’t marry someone literally better than me.”

“Okay, fair. Bur holy shit, warn a guy next time.”

“Like you warned me before you popped the fucking question? Yeah, right.”

All Awsten could manage in response was a dramatic eye roll and a, “Hnng.”, before finishing off his own ice cream. “Whatever, party pooper.”


	3. Like A Bad Tickle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman and Awsten go on another one of their weird platonic outings. Character building happens, relationships are strengthened. Yaddah yaddah.
> 
> This chapter is completely unbeta'd. So if anyone spots something glaringly terrible, please comment.

Roman woke to the sound of soft tapping on her bedroom ceiling, and gentle murmuring she could decipher. This was a first. 

Awsten and her had been hanging out for the past couple of weeks, going out for lunches, playing video games on lazy days. It was a growing friendship, made simple and convenient by their living situation. The sort of thing Roman had always craved growing up. 

She sat up in her worn out bed. Once upon a time this mattress had been dense and comfortable memory foam. Now it was a poofy soft pad, and she direly needed to change the sheets when she had the time. Not now of course. Why would she do something as sensible as deal with it when she noticed it?

Roman stood, her legs popping along the way. God those noises made her feel old. Even when she had been eleven and quite spry she made those unearthly creaking noises.

Her ceiling began tapping again, and this time she heard more focused muffled voices. It sounded like Awsten literally had his face pressed against the carpeted floor of his bedroom. “Yeah yeah, I’m up! Give me 5 minutes.” she said firmly, glaring in his general direction.

The weather outside was bland, yet another cloudless blue sky. Bland wasn’t bad, it just felt nice to have the occasional storm. Roman quickly got dressed and retreated to the bathroom to finish her morning routine.

= = = = =

“‘Sup Awsten?” Roman croaked.

“I just wanted to say hi.” Awsten giggled.

Roman looked closer at her neighbor, her already sleep wrinkled eyes creasing further as she squinted. “Were you crying?”

“Let a man have secrets, babe. It’s like 8 am on a Sunday morning, things happen.”

“Okay, well… what did you want me over for?”

Awsten slinked back into his apartment, leaving the door open in a silent invitation to Roman. “To be honest I wasn’t sure you’d wake up to any of that. So I had no plans. I just like having your attention.”

“Well honey, if you’d like, I could treat you with a trip to the local bookstore?” Roman suggested, walking into the home and closing the door behind her.

“Bookstore? At 8. On a Sunday morning. What kind of bookstore does that?” Awsten asked, stumbling around his apartment, pulling up his zany socks and rolling up the cuffs of his pants.

“The kind of bookstore I go to, of course. I thought that was obvious.” Roman scoffed mockingly, pushing her sweater sleeves up to her elbows. She revealed severely scarred arms, wrapped in what seemed to be very… unthematic accessories. Plain leather bands, random beaded bracelets, and the occasional obligatory thick bracelet advertising a band or a fandom. Awsten squinted at her arms for a moment, and it was just enough for Roman to shuffle uncomfortably under his gaze. Those piercing blue eyes were fucking awful. Pretty and safe, but so revealing it was scary.

Awsten seemed to get distracted and walk down the hallway. Roman could hear him making odd noises in another room, and an ominous noise she hoped was a rolling closet door. He came back looking like he was running on autopilot with some cliche checkered Vans on his feet.

“Damn Daniel.” Roman whispered to herself. Apparently not quiet enough, cause Awsten immediately looked at her with a sharp glare.

“They are not, white.” he hissed before opening the door and shoving what looked to be a colorful wallet into his pocket.

“Oh, ‘scuse me.” Roman took a deep breath before bellowing, “What’re those?!”, dramatically gesturing at his shoes.

Awsten gave an amused scoff and locked the door behind them. “Shut up, it’s still early morning. You’re gonna get us both evicted or something.”

Roman rolled her eyes,” Mhm, tell me I should be quiet, Mister Drum-Solo-At-Three-In-The-Morning.”

Another eye roll, “Shoosh.” Awsten chuckled and began trotting down the stairs, Roman in tow. Roman wasn’t entirely sure why Awsten was leading at the point, but she wasn’t about to complain. She rolled her long sleeves back down and followed close behind. Close enough to still smell what she assumed was Awsten’s bedroom. 

By the time they reached the end of the stairs, Roman had squeezed her way past Awsten to lead. “At least I assume you don’t know where we’re going.” she looked over her shoulder to see Awsten’s tired eyes squint into the distance.

“No I guess I don’t know where we’re going. Lead on then Roma Tomato.”

Roman scoffed and blushed at the nickname, tucking her fingers into her sleeves before leading them past the Kitty-Kat Hotel, and past the little pavement park. She was sure that sort of thing had a name, but all her brain gave her any time she tried to think of it was ‘Urban Playground’ and that seemed weird and choppy. With a shrug she led them further on, slowing her walk past a cafe. “Hold up. Do you want some coffee?”

“Caffeinated nectar? Fuck yes.” Awsten replied with a moan.

Roman caught herself blushing once more and she opened the door for her companion. “C’mon zombie.”

Awsten managed to jumble his order three times, and get something that was absolutely not what he ordered, but he happily drank it without comment. Roman just looked at him with a glaze of befuddlement over her brown eyes and sipped on her frappuccino. “You okay there, bud?”

All Awsten managed was a grunt before he finished off the last bit of his train wrecked coffee and dumping it in the next trash bin they passed. He gave a pleased hum as he regrouped with Roman, and she chuckled at him. “Well, you seem happier at least.”

“I was already pretty pleased. But yes, I appreciate the recharge.”

Roman wondered how she had managed to get Awsten out of the house without coffee if he was that dependent. She didn’t want to read too much into it, but this morning had seemed strange. He had woken her up via mumbling through the floor and knocking. By the time she had gotten to his door she could tell he had been crying pretty heavily, and he was dead ass tired. Was he alright? Were they friends enough for her to even ask? He had brushed Roman off the first time… maybe she’d just need to wait. She was concerned, but she didn’t want to scare him away.

Awsten looked to Roman, trying to catch her eye. When he couldn’t get her attention with his gaze alone he gently grabbed her empty hand, and stopped her. “What’s up, Roma?”

Roman jerked her head up to make eye contact. “Uh, nothing really I guess. I’m just thinking about stuff.”

“Well no shit, Einstein. I was hoping to help you sort through that brain of yours. If your curly hair is any indication, your brain must be a mess.”

Roman rolled her eyes in amusement and she started walking slowly, still holding Awsten’s hand, but trying to keep him from touching her scars. They were really marbled and textured, and if he touched them, he’d be bound to ask questions. “I uh. I was thinking about this morning. And how you didn’t tell me what was wrong. Which is fine. If it’s none of my business, it’s okay. I’m just worried is all.”

Awsten smiled fondly and ran a hand through his red hair and looked to Roman bashfully. “It’s not super important. I’ll tell you when it’s not morning. Alright? I just want to just enjoy some time before I open that can of worms.”

Roman nodded, the crease between her eyebrows deepening further. “Okay. Just know I’m here for you, Awzzy. I literally live a floor away.”

Awsten beamed at her, his smile so wide his eyes were hard to see. It was nice seeing him so pleased. Maybe not happy, but he seemed at a weird ease for someone who had been probably crying into his carpet this morning. She shrugged it off and took another sip of her frappuccino, trying to focus on the shoddy attempt at mimicking Oreo flavoring before taking Awsten across a crosswalk. “We’re almost there, pal.”

Awsten adjusted his grip on her hand before responding, “A’ight chief-”, his thumb brushed bubbling scars near her wrist and his comment faltered. “Oh, sorry.” he blushed and gripped her hand loosely. “I uh. I didn’t-”

Roman shook her head dismissively, “It’s fine. It doesn’t hurt or anything.”

Awsten nodded sagely before pursing his lips and opening his mouth to finally ask the first question of many. “Where’d you get them?”

Roman took another sip of her drink before replying, “I fell into a fire as a kid apparently. I was really young, so I don’t remember it, but my forearms and hands were pretty screwed up for a while. Wasn’t until I got to about twenty years old that I noticed they had started receding and the backs of my hands looked fairly normal.”

“Well shit. C-... hmm. Can I see them?” Awsten obviously felt uncomfortable asking the question, but apparently his curiosity was far stronger than his social sensitivity.

Roman gave a cute little laugh, “Yep. Here, hold this.” she handed him her frappuccino and pushed her sleeves up to her elbows. “The start on the backs of my hands and go up a little past my elbows.”

And she was right, as she held out her hands to reveal the marbled and puffy pink scarring. Awsten looked at them owlishly. He fawned over them on the street corner, gently grabbing her outstretched hand and rotating her arm to admire the swirling of the scars. It was beautiful. It was pale, grey-ish purple and vaguely pink. Roman didn’t think anyone would really like her scars, but Awsten obviously did. He was unabashedly admiring them much like a child would admire a big pretty dog.

“Are uh. Are you having fun there, Awzzy?”

“Yes I am, holy shit. These are fucking cool, dude. Is it weird that I’m jealous?” Awsten moved to stand next to Roman again, entangling their fingers and handing her drink back after taking a sip for himself.

Roman scoffed at him, “I don’t see why you’d want them. But I guess it’s not super weird. It’s like a free abstract tattoo. It’s just that I don’t feel much properly on my arms. It’s all weird and distant yet super strong at once. Like a bad tickle.”

Awsten scrunched his face up in obvious discomfort. “Woah, nevermind. You can keep ‘em.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Roman gave a burbling laugh before tugging Awsten into the one store with people coming in and out of it. It was a small corner bookstore, like Roman had said. But it was a bit early in the day for some place so small to be so active. Especially a bookstore.

“What in the world?” he murmured as they crossed the threshold, hand in hand.


	4. Skadoosh

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a wacky bookstore and a couch. Whaddaya want from me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this while crying over the fact that I can't buy all of Waterparks and My Chemical Romance's discographies. I wanna treat myself. I'm tired of streaming through youtube and Pandora.

From floor to ceiling there were bookshelves. The pale yellow walls looked cold and clammy, yet the atmosphere seemed so welcoming. This little corner shop felt like a cold warehouse with a sunny disposition. Awsten looked around, twinkling curious eyes as bright as a child’s might be upon entering a candy store.

He grabbed Roman’s arm unconsciously and made a whistling noise. “Good lord, what is this place?”

Roman smiled and looked down at Awsten, “This is the Nerd Cave! Well… it’s called the Bookmark, but everyone that comes here regularly calls it the NC.”

“Nerd Cave. Damn.” he dropped her arm and started shifting along the walls, reading the spines of the soft and hardcover books, running his fingers along the metal of the shelves. 

Roman tailed him, giving him about three feet of space, watching his reactions for what he seemed most interested in. He gave pause near the occult stuff, and the weird magic fantasy books. Roman wasn’t sure what she had expected from him, but that seemed fairly accurate.

“Let me know if you see anything you want.” She murmured before taking a step away.

“Wait, wait. Roman.”

“What’s up?” she stepped back and gave Awsten a quizzical look.

“Like, we’ve been friends for a couple weeks now, and I still have no clue how you’re paying for any of this. Are you independently wealthy or something?”

She obviously tried to hide her reaction, but there seemed to be an awkward tension suddenly blooming from her. “I guess you could say that?” Her stomach felt weird and cold as she thought about the origin of her money, and really she wasn’t comfortable discussing it so publicly. With Awsten, sure. That wasn’t the problem, but she was already weird enough with her marbled arms on display, her height and her hair. She scrunched up her face and continued walking away, hoping he wouldn’t shout after her.

But of course, that wasn’t true Awsten fashion. “Alright, keep your secrets then.” he grunted across the large room, loud enough that many people looked up to see the origin, and then looking to Roman to try and garner context from the scene.

Roman blushed and grit her teeth, taking a deep breath to calm herself. It was something a simple conversation outside would fix. No one here would be balls-y or nosy enough to ask her about it. 

So she spent the rest of her time looking through the graphic novels and art books. She came here frequently enough that she knew none of the fiction she wanted was in stock. The owner would’ve given her a call, or so they had agreed she would.

“Hey Roma, check this shit out!” Awsten chortled, showing off a holographic hardcover of some weird self-help book. 

“ _Wish It. Want It. Do It?_ Do you actually read self-help books?” Roman asked incredulously.

Awsten frowned at Roman, “Don’t be a party pooper. But no. I’m sure someone else would appreciate it, but I just thought this cover was worth sharing.”

Roman shrugged, “Well, is that other book the one you really want?”

“Yes, dear.” Awsten snickered, moving to put the shiny book back.

Roman was all too eager to go back to her apartment. She was tired, and dearly wanted to de-stress and just hang out.

= = = = =

“Aaaaaawsteeeeeeen.” Roman called from her living room.

“What, oh not-wife of mine?” Awsten said with a tired amusement from the bathroom down the hall.

“My feet hurt.”

“It’s not my fault you don’t know how to buy insoles, alright?”

“Rub my toesies.” Roman squeaked in a childish manner as she melted into her fuzzy worn out couch. It was blue, musty, and comfortable. One of those weird things that should smell dirty, but smelled more like home.

“Nope. Gross. Girl, get someone else to fondle your piggies.” Awsten said, brushing her off breezily as he meandered around her apartment, doing whatever he was doing.

Actually, what was he doing?

Roman sat up in confusion. “Awsten, what are you up to?”

“I dunno. Do I have to be up to anything?” he asked defensively.

“Awzzy, you’re wandering through my apartment like you own the place. Excuse me for being mildly concerned.

“Okay, but like… you walked through town alone with me, don’t you trust me by now?”

“I’m taller than you, and I’ve got legs for days, son. I can kick your ass with one arm. I didn’t have anything to worry about.” 

“Okay. Ow. Doesn’t trust me, but she can kill me with her pinky so who cares? Mark me down as turned on and offended.” 

“Like this relationship goes any further than banter and convenience.”

Okay, maybe Roman wasn’t super okay. She shut her mouth with a snap and held her breath for a moment, “Wow, sorry. I uh. I didn’t mean that.”

“Ahuh. Right. I know I can take it and all, but are you okay?”

Roman felt her eyes widen. The only reason she had for being snippy with Awsten was her lingering anxiety about their relationship. “I mean… okay. I’m okay, but I’m a little anxious if I’m being honest.”

“What’s wrong?” Awsten said, making his way over to sit next to her on the couch. “Did I do something?”

“No, it’s about you. But it’s not specifically you.”

Awsten bit his lip and clammed up. 

“Yeah, I might want to explain before you take that personally, **holyshitwhatamIdoing**.” She covered her eyes with her hands and sighed. “So, I don’t have many friends because I push them away. I normally ask too much of people, and they don’t care about me enough to even try.”

She could see growing confusion make its way across Awsten’s face and she blundered to give more context and get to the point. “I mean, I don’t feel very secure in our relationship. Whatever it is. The pet names, the flirting, the blatant yet surface level trust? It’s making me feel weird that we’ve never talked about any of it.”

That seemed to explain it a bit better for Awsten. “Okay, so you don’t have many friends because they can’t commit to a conversation on occasion? Wow. Shitty friends. Anyways. Uh, I use pet names cause I happen to like your face. I flirt with you cause I like flirting with you? Like, if that was a normal thing between us on the daily I would be one hundred percent okay with that. I say we’re friends, cause I love you like a friend.”

Roman watched his face and let a small smile slip across her own. 

“But if I were being honest, I’m flirty with you because I’d be cool with making it more than friends in the future. Alright? I dunno man, we’ve got this cool chemistry and I want to keep it.”

Roman nodded and laughed. She’d be lying if this sort of talk didn’t bring her close to tears. It meant a lot to her that Awsten would sit there and address everything she’d mentioned. It was more than many people had ever bothered to give her in life. “Thank you.” she mumbled before kissing his stubbly cheek.

“Uh, you’re welcome. Literally any time.” Awsten said with his thick eyebrows tied up in confusion.

Roman was cool with minor confusion, but right now she felt better. She felt like everything had been addressed on her side of things. “Well, is there anything bugging you, since we’ve got the door open?”

Awsten gave it a moment, worrying his lips between his teeth. “One thing.”

“Okay, shoot.”

“I think I’ve been pretty clear with my feelings for you. But do you have any feelings for me? Is there any chance of that happening?” Awsten inquired, obviously tense and trying his best to keep from being over the top.

“Well… yeah. I mean, most of the thing holding me back is the fact that we’ve barely been friends for like, two weeks. But I can’t say I’d put an expiration date on anything. So… yeah. I have feelings for you.”

That had been a really stilted way to put things, but hey. She had given him an answer. He shrugged and offered a small smile in her direction. “Alright. Feel better, now that we’ve got that off our chests?”

Roman squinted. “Sort of. Now I’ve got other issues. But those are problems I need to sleep on.”


	5. Boom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's crying and emotional difficulty, but such is life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd just like to throw it out there again (or is this the first time??) that I mainly write these emotional break downs based on my own experience. I'm no professional, I just have the emotional maturity of a moldy walnut, and I'd appreciate if you left comments telling me how to approve, or how you like this sorta stuff.

Awsten felt a deep squirm in his guts, and his eyes felt like they were swimming in dry sockets. He knocked on the door with a shaky clenched fist. This was one of the few days he actually had plans before knocking on the hollow metal door that was Roman’s.

He swallowed thickly as Roman opened the door, peering suspiciously out at him. “You knocked? Dude, what gives?” she said, stepping back to usher him into her sanctum.

Awsten fiddled with the edge of his shirt, before deciding to throw himself across the couch. “So I may have neglected to bring something up a while ago. Then again, a while ago we weren’t friends. So whatever.”

Roman slowly made her way to the couch, sitting with her ribs pressed against the baseboard and her arms thrown over Awsten. She laid her head against his chest before mumbling, “Okay. What’s up?”

Awsten took a deep breath, knowing he’d need it if he’d ever break these floodgates between him and Roman. 

“So my band? Yeah, we’re set to go on tour in about a month. I just… I forgot to mention it.”

Roman didn’t tense like Awsten had expected. No raising of voices, or frustrated sighs. She was eerily calm, and that made Awsten a bit more nervous than if she had raised a fuss.

“How long?” she said quietly.

“We’re planning on two months, US tours are pretty quick and simple.” Awsten added, a little frown crossing his face. Two months was a long time with such short notice.

“No no. It’s okay. You have a band, this was going to come up no matter what. Although, I request that I get your phone number or some way to talk to you.”

Awsten nodded, his head still planted against the couch’s armrest. “Alright, I think I can manage that.” he held out his hand, making a grabby impatient motion.

Roman took her cue and handed him her undecorated, and fairly worn smartphone.

Awsten had been expecting stickers, maybe some scratches in an artsy pattern. Roman liked to mark things with her art supplies, but this seemed barren. He brushed it off quickly, adding his contact info to her rather small list of contacts.

The further he delved into Roman’s life, whether intentionally prying or not, he realized that he really had no clue what she was like. Other than there-for-him, hilarious, and incredibly attractive in ways that had weird depth, he still had no clue where she came from. He cocked his head as he handed her phone back. “There. Now you can send me dumb FaceBook mom memes on Sunday mornings.”

Roman gave a quick breathy snort before she slid her phone onto the windowsill she was facing. “Yeah sure. I’ll send you selfies of me in ugly big glasses, slushy in hand, while I wait for my kids to finish up their track meet.”

“Wouldn’t you be at the track meet?”

“To watch a bunch of sweaty kids run, and bicker with other parents and teachers? Sure. Why not? I’m a total Karen. I’ll get into arguments with instructors and coaches because of my bad parenting.”

Awsten broke into a grin before running his fingers through Roman’s hair absent mindedly. He wasn’t honestly sure why she let him do it, but it felt grounding. Even if it resulted in his fingers feeling vaguely soft or smelling like her. It was calming, and he felt like he needed it right now. 

Sure, Roman was okay with him and his career. But would she stay around? How long would she be okay with getting calls at awful times of the day when he had time or saw something dumb and needed to share? 

“Awsten?”

Roman broke through his strange daydream and his overthinking before it trundled into a downward spiral of anxiety and sweating.

“What’s up, Roma?”

“Are you still sure about wanting to be with me? Even with the future distance?” 

Awsten could hear the uncertainty in her voice. The fact that she was the one to broach the subject, and not just leave it open ended felt good. It was a hard topic, but it was nice to know that she returned the feelings enough to even think about it without being asked to.

But of course he was sure. Maybe he wasn’t so steady on dealing with his feelings, maybe they turned out to be fleeting fancies on occasion. But Awsten wasn’t one to shy away from an open door. Especially not this one. Not one with Roman on the other side. He was ready to kick that one down, or die trying if she’d let him.

“Yeah?” he sighed with a hopeful lilt.

“Well… I know this is bad timing and all with your tour coming up. But… I don’t want to have you leaving thinking I haven’t thought about it. God, Awzzy. I think it’s more than a silly crush, and I know we don’t have much time to explore it much right now, but if you’re serious-” she paused to meet his eyes, still using his stomach as a pillow, “If you’re serious, and you’re willing to work through distance and my shitty little insecurities… I want to be a part of your life. I want to be there.” she finished, her eyes watering perseptably. 

If Awsten could see the glassiness and raw emotion in them, it must’ve been strong. 

He sat up, disrupting her pillow, and guided her into his lap. “Of fucking course I’m serious. I’d sleep in hot coals if it meant I could wake up to you every day.”

Roman gave a soft watery chuckle and buried her head in his shoulder. “Please don’t. I can assure you, sleeping in hot coals is not necessary to be with me. I cut out the middleman and I did it myself.” She raised her uncovered marbled scars to prove her point. 

Awsten gave a soft happy sigh and pulled her forearm to his face with another guiding soft tug, pressing soft stubbly kisses to her wrist, and working his way down to the crook of her elbow. The texture was strange, but Awsten had already established very clearly that he thought no less of her bumpy pink skin. It was paler than the rest of her, and probably more distantly sensitive in that odd scar tissue-like way, but he still loved every bit of her.

He felt wetness creep down his shoulder, and realized that Roman’s eyes had gone from watery, to drippy. He gave a soft murmur before resting his head against her’s. “It’s okay Roma. Even if you didn’t want to kiss me like I want to kiss you, I’d still be sending you stupid selfies. I’d still be there for you. I’d always be around. I’m not here just because you’re pretty.”

Roman gave a loud gust of laughter, “No fucking shit, Awzzy. I’m just… I’m still working through old scars. I know you’re not that shallow. But one can only call themselves a monster for so long before they start believing it, logic be damned.” she said breathily before sniffling and rubbing her nose on a sleeve she pulled down.

Awsten gave a soft, half lidded smile as he watched her tend to her emotional wounds. “Well. I like weird, if that helps at all. Horns? Rad. Forked tongue? Spectacular? Occasional mood swings involving demons and speaking in dead languages? It’s just Tuesday, babe.” he assured her in his strange round about way.

Roman rolled her sleeve back up and nodded. “Thanks. I… I really appreciate it. You just being here, I mean. And you don’t baby me or pity me. You don’t think any less of me. I just-” her mouth was hanging open as she cried. There were no sobs, just soundless tears trickling down her face absently.

“It’s okay Roman. No need to thank me for being a friend, Christ.” he pulled her in close, wrapping his arms around her, much like he had hoped she would to him some day. He’d have his turn eventually, knowing his luck. He pressed a kiss to her thick dark hair and rubbed her back.

In response, Roman wrapped her arms around Awsten’s chest. Squeezing herself against him in an oddly reassuring way, even though Awsten was the one comforting her. Roman just had a strange effect on any situation.

Awsten tucked her hair behind her ears and leaned down to look in her dark watery eyes. “Hey there… do you wanna just. Just cuddle? Have some time to calm down?”

It felt strange to offer a nap to a grown adult as a solution, but he knew for a fact that it might help. He gave a soft hum as he felt Roman nod. 

“Yeah. Naptime. Maybe… maybe cuddles?” she asked tentatively with a sheepish smile as she wiped tears off of her face.

“Cuddles? Fuck yeah.” 

Awsten made moves to lay down on the couch, only to have Roman slide off of his lap with a quick step, turning to grab Awsten’s hand. “C’mon. Bed’s a lot comfier.”

“Uh, who am I to say no?” he said with a baffled sort of distance to his voice. Just lay in bed with her in the dark, play with her hair, listen to her breath. That sounded amazing to be perfectly honest. 

If it hadn’t been for the context, Awsten would’ve been far more concerned about Roman’s outburst of tears, but really… it was just hard to be upfront about your emotions. Especially when those emotions were tangled up in whether the person you were talking to felt something strong enough to tie them to. It was full of uncertainty and vulnerability. 

He was happy to hold her, both metaphorically, and physically. He was pretty sure that if he didn’t already love her, he was on the fast track to Romaville, and he was absolutely okay with falling this time.


	6. Nyoom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Awsten goes on tour, and Roman is left to cope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote most of this and the next chapter during a depressive episode while listening to Frank Sinatra on repeat, and then I sloppily finished it after months of inactivity. I hope it's still sweet and fluffy enough to enjoy, but I'm positive I've written better on Denny's napkins at three in the morning.
> 
> To be fair, I've also changed mentally now that I have a partner, so this... this doesn't really feel the same anymore.

“This bed is lonely without you in it.” Roman shakily whispered after she hung up. 

The call with Awsten was one of many. It was how their new relationship had essentially started. Awsten revealed that he was going to be touring in a few weeks, and it had given Roman barely enough time to figure out that she really, really wanted to get closer to the singer. She still barely knew anything about his bandmates or his music, she just knew that he was there for her, and she enjoyed being there for him. She wanted to be a permanent facet of his life.

And now he was states away, somewhere where it was creeping into morning, whereas it was simply nighttime for her. Roman stared down at her phone, looking at the duration of their call under his silly contact name _Awzzy Awesome_. Two and a half hours of catching up and just… just being there on the other end of the connection. 

Roman had inadvertently met Geoff and Otto through the calls, hearing their hellos as Awsten moved through the tour bus, or walked around when they were staying at hotels.

She loved that he was sharing his tour life with her, but at this point she wanted so badly to be on the road with him. To watch his shows and hear his music through less than plaster walls and crackling speakers. Roman rubbed at her heating face, feeling utterly lost. 

_Do I need him around? No. Do I want him around? Fuck yes._

Roman inwardly sighed and threw her phone gently across the room, hitting a soft backpack propped against the far wall. A huff lanced through her chest and she stood. The emotions roiling in her were fine. It was human to feel angry and sad. It was okay to be negative and feel bad about being away from the people you loved. But Roman still had a habit of chastising herself for having feelings.

Somewhere along the line, she had been told that she was childish or too emotional, and she’d clung to that simple statement since. Maybe her father had made an offhand comment about her emotional state and she had felt secret shame, letting it seed in her heart. Either way, she could feel herself push back against the emotional waves, a new bloom of anger forming behind her eyelids. Maybe drawing would help. Maybe she needed to take a walk. 

With a newfound energy, dwelling somewhere in her chest, where her rage was relocating, she stood from the plush bed she still had yet to replace.

With freshly shoved on shoes, and a slewn on hoodie, she hopped gingerly down the concrete steps, trying her best to remain light footed. She didn’t really care much about her neighbors on a personal level, but she liked her apartment. So with light feet, and steady hands on the metal railings, she made her way down the three levels of apartment building from her floor. 

Tonight felt like a good time to hang out with the cats in the Kitty Kat Hotel. Tonight also felt like a night for a lot of alcohol, and a good banging into a mattress, but she lacked her desired partner, so cuddling with cats seemed like a more reasonable and responsible alternative.

See that Mom? Responsible.

She grumbled inwardly, her foul mood reflected even in her intrusive thoughts. 

_Maybe I could just take my anger out on that wall?_

_Would anyone care if I tore the branches off this bush?_

_What if I just… just fuckin’ screamed?_

Roman took a deep breath, centering herself on the calming thought of, _don’t frighten the cats_. Their safety was all it took to still Roman’s rage. She wasn’t throwing her anger away, she still felt a deep prickly fuzz in her core, and her thoughts had a dark lean, but she wasn’t mad at anything she could currently change.

The familiar smell of warm pavement and the musk of docile outdoor cats washed over her. That alone had its own calming effect. Let it be known, that Roman had a deep soft spot for hairy little gremlins that liked to throw things and play with their food. 

The things that seemed to best portray those characteristics?

Cats, ferrets, rodentia in general, excitable dogs, monkeys, and Awsten.

And there she was, thinking about her bright haired idiot again. She let out a soft sad sigh before turning into the dark alley, now dimly lit by street lights across the street and the windows of one of the buildings making the shadowed alley.

She smiled and squatted at the entrance, _tch tch tch_. She called, meowing and purring in her ruddy human way at the felines that greeted her openly, throats rumbling and tails swaying curiously.

“‘Sup, pussies.” she hummed quietly to herself, laughing at her own lame joke as she sat down slowly, crossing her legs in front of her with her back against a dirty brick wall. “Maybe you guys can give me some help.”

One of the cats, what seemed to be a short haired tuxedo cat, cocked its head and looked at Roman with a nearly motherly look. As if it could understand that she was asking for help, and was waiting for her to continue.

Roman took it as a warm invitation and began. Venting quietly in a soft voice to the attentive feline group. From little things like dropping a fork in her trash can that morning, to the whole distance situation. The fact that her and Awsten had never established a relationship until a week before he had fucking left for months was killing her.

It’s not that Awsten was demanding, or ever even hinted at wanting more than Roman was willing to give, but she felt like she should’ve gone with him. Like she had to somehow prove to him that they were more than just friends that had started kissing for the hell of it. This wasn’t some simple solution to her loneliness, she just wanted to exist with him and be a part of him.

“I think I love him a lot more than I thought. I think I fell for him that fucking morning, when he had been banging whatever on my ceiling. God, I wish I had at least gotten into the sack with him before he had left.”

The tuxedo cat smacked her thigh affectionately, pawing at Roman’s uncovered hands. “Mrow?”

Roman giggled, trying desperately to not scare her audience away as she stroked fur and entertained the other, less scarily intelligent cats. “Maybe it’s better that I hadn’t gotten into bed with him yet. At least now I don’t have memories to haunt me.” she thought out loud.

Although if Roman was being honest, her imagination was probably worse. It couldn’t stick with one thing. Not a recurring fantasy or something. It ranged from Awsten pinning her to a wall and chasing her around the apartment, to Roman dominating him in the strangest of ways. 

She felt a deep blush creep up her neck to her face and she laughed at herself. “God this is silly. But I feel a bit better now.” She felt around for her phone before she realized she had left it in her bedroom, thrown against a discarded backpack in a weird storm of emotions. 

Roman sighed before standing. “Alright, I should get back to the apartment. I love you guys! Maybe I should get to adopting one of you or something. Mister Tuxedo over there seems enthused.” She gave a thoughtful hum before giving a farewell scritch to the aforementioned cat and walking back home.

At least tonight hadn’t ended in tears.


	7. Zyoom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman's been dealing with Awsten being gone on tour, but today's the day he comes home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uweh, if you ordered lackluster reunion scenes, dING DING. ORDER'S UP.

_Roro  
Roman?  
Wake up bich  
I jus want attention  
Baaabe  
_

Roman scrolled through the barrage of texts. Apparently Awsten was anxious now that his tour was ending and he was coming home. She gave a giddy smile before tapping out her reply.

_Yes, oh needy one?_

She noticed the timestamps, and it gave her heart a hopeful jump. His texts had probably been what had woke her up, seeing as how they had been sent about five minutes ago. Maybe he’d call instead of text.

Some clothing would be nice, if Roman wanted to start functioning before being dragged into a strangely spacey yet ecstatic conversation with her partner.

She dressed quickly, shoving her feet in socks, stuffing her arms through the sleeves of yet another baggy sweater. Roman paused. There was no reason to hide her arms any longer, and if she kept doing it, she’d just slip back into her old mindset. With a quiet hum, she peeled the sweater off of her, replacing it with a t-shirt. It was stripey and vibrant, unlike her dark blue sweater.

Roman’s thoughts were jarred out of her head abruptly by her phone jingling and chiming violently, and she rushed to answer it.

“Hey Roro, sorry I’m so… I dunno, clingy? But I’m also not sorry, cause, fuck it’s been two months since I’ve gotten one hug from you, and it’s a fucking crime.” Awsten’s voice rang out.

Roman couldn’t help but giggle and grin at the sound of his voice. No it wasn’t anything new, but it didn’t have to be. It was just so nice to hear from him day in and day out. “Clingy? Isn’t that half of most relationships anyways?”

“I mean… I guess? But it’s also about fifty percent of tape, and I’m not sure I want to compare myself to something used in home crafts and on moving boxes.”

She couldn’t help but snicker. “Babe, why do you have to be the space heater to my ice cream?”

“Because you have this weird idea of how the world works, and I don’t like thinking that clingy is a good state of being.” Awsten said matter-of-factly.

“Alright, fair point. Clingy is a warning sign, I get it. But if you didn’t miss me a little I’d be worried. So shut the fuck up, and come home.”

“Yes, ma’am! I still have to actually get on my plane, but I’ll be there in a few hours.”

Roman heard the sound of people and weird beeps and tinny voices in the background. If it had been consistent, maybe it wouldn’t have sounded so awful.

“Hey, A-Word.”

“Yeah, babe?”

“If you want to call me at some point, can you do it when you’re not in the terminal?” Roman asked tentatively, like she was carefully stepping out of a dark corner.

“Oh shit, sorry. That probably sounds awful. But uh, that means I’ll probably have to text you till I land in Cali.” Awsten said with a quiet sour undertone.

Roman understood. She was a tad bit upset that the noise bothered her so much. “That’s alright. Sorry, I just don’t want you to come back to a grumpy me, y’know?”

“I understand. If it were me in your shoes I’d probably feel the same way.” He sighed and turned, cocking his head to listen to an announcement.

“Alright babe, I’ve gotta go. We can talk soon.”

“Yeah, yeah. I love you.” Roman cooed.

“I love you too.” Awsten purred in response. 

The call ended with a disappointing click, and Roman was met with a crackling silence once again. She hated that noise. It sounded like expectancy and broken promises. Was she sure as to why she immediately associated it with those things? Not really, but it elicited dark feelings she tried to keep locked away.

She tucked her phone into her pocket and decided to start making her bed. 

“God dammit, I still need to get a new mattress.” Roman groaned to herself in the dull quiet of her apartment and began tidying up the spaces she had let go by the wayside.

= = = = =

Roman’s door flew open without any real warning, slamming haphazardly against her wall. 

She bolted up from her spot on the gross brown couch she called a perch, and beamed once she realized who had so rudely barged into her apartment. His bright red hair in a flurry, his dark roots growing out.

Roman couldn’t help but notice that he was wearing what looked to be a very, very worn out t-shirt and some honest to god blue jeans for once. She opened her arms instead of trying to get up and greet him, catching Awsten in an embrace.

He seemed awkwardly stretched across the furniture, but he didn’t seem to mind. He pressed his face into her shoulder and let out a deep sigh. “I missed you so much.”

Words continued to prove absolutely useless when held by Roman, as she felt her brain short-circuit. Her mouth moved, but nothing came out, so she decided maybe just holding onto Awsten and peppering him with kisses was enough. She hoped it was enough. Her fingers in his red hair, feeling the familiar fabric of his t-shirt. It hadn’t been long in the grand scheme of things, but it had felt like lifetimes. 

They held each other like that for a minute or so before Awsten shifted to a more comfortable position, sitting with his back against the couch, holding her arm delicately. “Next time… I want to just take you on tour.”

Roman felt a scarlet blush stretch across her features, trailing down her neck. “Really?”

Awsten nodded silently, a pleased smile on his face.

“You’re not worried about getting tired of being around me? No real alone time?”

“Alone time? Personal space? I don’t really like either of them. You can crowd in on my personal bubble any time you want.” he said, pressing a kiss to her scarred arm. “Besides, I work best when I’m surrounded by things I love, so my ideal workplace would probably be in my apartment, knowing you can hear me.”

A thoughtful murmur escaped Roman as she slid off of the couch, landing next to Awsten on the floor. “You sure you don’t want to just commandeer my art room?”

“Well… I could, but don’t you want it?”

“I prefer my things messy and vaguely organized. Besides, seeing your guitars in there would inspire me enough. Makes me feel like I’m actually connected to someone, you know?”

“Hmm. Food for thought, I guess.”


End file.
